


Chronometer

by KarenAC



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A whole lot of angst, Angst, But kinda is, Eventual reveal, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, LadyNoir - Freeform, Not My Fault, Secrets, Slow Burn, This will probably be long, adrienette - Freeform, i'm not even sorry, pre-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:19:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6379600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarenAC/pseuds/KarenAC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being Ladybug had a price higher than Marinette thought.<br/>And there she was thinking neutralizing akumas was the hardest she had to do.<br/>It was time to end it all.<br/>Her life depended on that.</p><p>> I tried to write this story as canon as I could, with my own theories involving the Miraculous and the characters backgrounds!<br/>I really hope you like it ;)<br/>I'll add more characters and warnings as they show up to not ruin it with spoilers;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Answers

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there~~  
> I tried to write this story as canon as I could, with theories involving the use of the Miraculous and the characters backgrounds!  
> I really hope you like it ;)

The bell rang for the fifth time. She knew that her time was running out. Soon it would be morning and all the people would come out to the streets for their daily activities, being exposed to danger. She looked up and saw the tall tower with the bell on top, as if begging for it to give her more time, even a minute longer. But nothing was easy. Not for Ladybug.

\- Chat, careful! - She yelled when she saw a clock hand being thrown against her partner like a spear.

The villain had been presented with the name of Clockgic. After a few minutes of fighting, Ladybug and Chat Noir had discovered that the akumatizes citizen was a man who had dedicated 30 years of his life tolling the bell tower of the church until his work began to be done by an automatic timer and he was fired.

Chat Noir easily dodged the bullet, and Ladybug sighed in relief. It looked like she was worrying for no reason. The clock hand pinned to the ground and disappeared as if it had turned to dust. Seizing the moment of Clockgic distraction who was materializing another pointer to shoot, Chat divided the bat in his hands in two and threw them against the villain. One of them hit the vest he was wearing, ripping a button and dropping a black pocket watch in a long chain.

\- Ladybug, there! - The cat cried, pointing, and the girl threw her head in the direction shown. A wide smile confirmed that she had seen the object.

\- Lucky Charm! - Ladybug threw the yoyo into the air and a red stone with black spots fell on her hands. She raised an eyebrow, instantly knowing what to do.

She joined the yoyo wire between two fingers, improvising a sling, positioned the stone there and took aim at the pocket watch hanging from Clockgic vest, who was still distracted trying to hit Chat Noir. It was a direct hit and the clock fell apart in the air, releasing the black butterfly.

\- It's time to de-evilize! - The butterfly was captured inside the yoyo thrown by Ladybug - Bye bye, little butterfly - and released as a harmless white butterfly - Miraculous Ladybug! - The girl then said, throwing the yoyo into the air and recovering everything that had been destroyed by akuma, including the watchmaker himself, who was kneeling on the floor with the pocket watch in hand.

\- Pound it! - With a meeting of fists, Ladybug and Chat Noir celebrated the victory.

\- My father gave me this watch. He was a great watchmaker. Maybe I'll try to open my own store instead of getting depressed by the job I lost. - Said the man who had once been possessed by the akuma.

 - That's a great idea! - Ladybug smiled and heard the first beep from her earring, warning that her time as a heroin was coming to an end, and then she exchanged a look with her partner.

\- Time to go, my lady! - Chat winked at her and both of them ran away without saying goodbye.

\---------------------------------

Ladybug jumped over the roof of the bakery of her parents and entered the skylight, but who came out on the other side was Marinette, falling on the bed already positioned there for her tiresome return of days and nights of fighting. Tikki fell beside her on the pillow.

\- Today was hard, right Marinette? - The kwami said more like a statement than a question.

\- Yeah, it was- sighed Marinette - I don't know if the akumas are getting stronger or if they have showed up so often that I'm not having a proper time to recover.

Mari lifted the t-shirt she was wearing and her eyes fell on a large bruise that formed over her skin, on the left side, over her ribs. One more for the collection. And they were taking longer and longer to disappear. She frowned and lowered the shirt, throwing her head on the pillow and staring at the ceiling.

\- Tikki, why does my wounds don't heal like all the buildings and people affected by akuma?

Tikki closed her eyes in a mix of weariness and sadness. Sooner or later Marinette would gather the pieces and realize what was happening.

\- Marinette, being Ladybug has a price higher than just losing sleep and being late for class - Tikki looked up for the first time since the beginning of the conversation, and looked at the girl whom she chose to be a carrier of the Miraculous.

\- What do you mean? - Marinette opened her eyes and sat up to look better at the kwami.

\- Your life energy. - Tikki lowered the head and stared at her own hands. The silence was deafening - Most of the energy for you to be Ladybug and fight your enemies comes from my powers, but with my powers alone I can't do anything - the Kwami timidly looked up and stared at Marinette - Only a human can be the Ladybug.

\- I remember you told me this the first time we met, Tikki. But I don't understand what this has to do with my life energy. Isn't it just my body you need to express the powers?

\- Exactly - Tikki began, her gaze turning from shy to serious - The Miraculous can't cleanse the Akuma alone. Each bit of evil inside those butterflies you capture - Tikki frowned - gets stuck inside you.

\- What!? - Marinette got up from bed quickly, with fists closed - What are you talking about, Tikki!?

\- The akuma uses your life force to be neutralized. - Tikki flew to look Marinette on the same eye level - and in return you absorb the evil in it.

\- But what about the yoyo? And the Miraculous? What's the good of the powers then!? - Girl heart's was almost out of her mouth.

\- The powers allow you to see the Akuma, carry the Miraculous and neutralize the Akuma. You are connected. It's not a Miraculous without you. And you're not Ladybug without it.

Marinette slowly sat up and put her hand over her own chest. Fast beats under trembling fingers. How much evil had she inside herself? How many Akuma had she neutralized without realizing what was happening? How long could she endure it?

\- Tikki, why didn't you tell me this before? - She looked at her own legs, running the fingers on her pants as if she could feel each one of the scars and marks that were already tattooed on her body - What will happen to me?

Tikki flew to Marinette's lap and put her little hand on one of Marinette's finger, and when she lifted her head to look into the girl's eyes, Mari saw Kwami's glare filled with tears that she was struggling not to drop.

\- Sorry for not telling you before, Mari. I couldn't. It's forbidden. If I had told you, I would lose all my powers and the world would be at the mercy of Hawmoth without a Ladybug for who knows how long - Tikki lowered her voice and it beacame almost a whisper - But you asked, and we can't deny answers to Miraculous' holders.

\- Then tell me what will happen to me. - Marinette asked firmly and Tikki held her breath for a second before start talking.

\- Your life force is the energy required to neutralize the Akuma. For each neutralized akuma, you lose some of it. Your body weakens. Recovery takes longer - Tikki stopped, interrupted by a hiccup, but Marinette knew it wasn't over. More than that. She knew that the worse was yet to come.

\- And at some time my life force will end - finished Marinette.

Tikki nods in agreement.

\- And I'll die - Marinette whispers.

Tikki didn't nod. She didn't need to. Marinette didn't need to see it. They both know that her words were the truth.

The girl leaned her body forward, put her elbows on her knees and supported her forehead in her hands. It was as if the whole world was spinning too fast. As if she was aware of every single degree of Earth's rotation.

The alarm clock rang on the desk. 7:30 am. Time to wake up. Time to get up, get dressed, have breakfast and go to school. But Marinette had not even slept, and on a single minute, she felt exhausted. Absurdly exhausted, as she hadn't slept for a week, and not for a day. At that moment, nothing else seemed important. Nothing else seemed to have value. She wanted to lie down and sleep for several days in a row. She didn't want to see anyone else.

\- How long? - Marinette's voice sounded in the room.

\- It depends on how many Akuma you need to neutralize - The Kwami spoke so low that Marinette had to bend down to hear her better - We estimate that danger isn't too high as long as Hawmoth is defeated soon.

\- How long? - Marinette asked again, seriously.

\- We don't know.

\- We don't know? As in plural?

\- Yes.

\- Who else doesn't know?

\- The other kwamis.

Marinette felt her heart skip a beat.

\- How many more people are at risk?

\- No one else - Tikki spoke so low that Marinette had to ask her to repeat.

\- Just me? - The girl didn't know whether to be angry or relieved, but the latter was stronger inside her heart now. Chat Noir was safe.

\- It's the price to be Ladybug, and it's one of the reasons ...

\- ... I have a partner. - Completed Mari - In case something happens.

Tikki was silent. Everything was silent. Things made so much sense that Marinette didn't know how it took her so long to realize.

\- Who else knows about this? - She asked the Kwami.

\- Only the kwamis, and now you.

Marinette took a deep breath. It would be much easier if she wouldn't have to deal with a worried Chat Noir all the time. Impulsive as he was, who knows what he would do when he found out the whole story.

The girl got up and set her hair loose, walking to the wardrobe.

\- So what we have to do now is to find Hawmoth soon and beat him so that nothing worse happens? - Marinette asked as she chose a change of clean clothes to shower and get ready for class.

\- Yes. Only neutralizing Akuma will not change anything. And time is running against you, Marinette - Mari could hear the sadness in Tikki's voice. All the distress she must have gone through. And for the first time, she noticed how the kwami was small and frail, and for how long was she suffering, bearing this whole story by herself.

\- Time always runs against me, Tikki. And it always loses. - Marinette smiled at Tikki, tenderly caressing the kwami's pink little head, and walked towards the bathroom with a look that would send shivers down the spine of anyone who saw her.


	2. Perceptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter!  
> I'll try to update this fic as fast as I can, since I have tons of ideas for it!  
> I changed the narrative method, hope you like it better!  
> Enjoy! ;)

"Rain. Perfect." Marinette looked outside of the bakery door glass "Of course it will be raining! What else can happen?" She said closing the door behind her, preparing to open the umbrella. A second before Mari pressed the button to open it, a car ran near the sidewalk and threw a wave of water over her. Tikki chuckled inside the shoulder bag. "This must be Chat Noir's fault. I bet bad luck is contagious." The girl swore under her breath.

Marinette opened the bakery door and called out her parents who were in the kitchen finishing baking the morning croissants. The smell of cheese and puff pastry filled the bakery.

"Mom, can you bring me a ..." Before she finished the sentence, Sabine Dupain-Cheng appeared with a bag in her hands "... change of dry clothes? I thought this was going to happen. And I also put in the bag a little pot with some croissants for lunch. They're still warm. " Sabine smiled satisfied, with her hands resting on the hips.

Mari loved her mother more than anything else in the world. It was as if she could always predict things that the girl needed and understood what she felt, without Marinette even telling her. Sometimes, of course, that was a reason for problems, especially at times when her mother's concerns were so intense that the two ended up arguing. But in the end, not even that diminished the love Marinette felt for her.

"You're the best, Mom!" Mari kissed Mrs. Dupain-Cheng face, putting the bag inside the backpack and running off, leaving the umbrella behind. Before her mother could even say something, the girl was already a block away.

"She'll definitely miss this" Sabine looked at the umbrella, going inside the bakery and closing the door.

Drenched and breathless. That's how Marinette arrived at school. The clothes were wet and stuck to her body, hindering her movements. She walked slowly across the courtyard to get to the bathroom.

"But Dad, today is Nino's birthday." Marinette heard a familiar voice when she was near the lockers' door, and a deep silence after that.

Adrien. She would recognize that voice anywhere. She didn't hear the voice answering him, so he was probably on the phone. Were Mr. Agreste and him having a fight? She leaned against the wall near the door to listen better.

"Marinette, it's not polite to listen to people's conversations without their permission" Tikki popped her head out of the bag and murmured looking up. "And you're already more than late!"

"All right, Tikki, I just wanna know if he's all right. And it's not really impolite if I'm not listening to the other side of the conversation" She explained more to herself than to the Kwami, trying to be convinced that she was not snooping. Tikki sighed and returned to the comfort of the bag. It was easier to moving a mountain than making Marinette to change her mind about something.

"Can't I go to the party after the photoshoot? I promise I will not mess up." Adrien's voice had anxiety and sadness. Marinette felt her chest tighten. She never heard Adrien demonstrate that he wanted something that badly. She moved closer to the door, as she almost couldn't hear the boy's voice. At that moment, even with all the admiration she felt for Gabriel Agreste, Mari also was a little angry with Adrien's father.

"Okay, Dad. See you later." She heard the discouraged reply. From the tone of the conversation, he probably wouldn't be able to go to Nino's party. Mari held her own chin and wondered what she could do to make Adrien feel a bit better.

However, she forgot that wasn't the time nor the place to think of solutions, and forgot even more than she was listening to a conversation she shouldn't. All that came to light when she heard the room door opening suddenly. The girl tried to run to the bathroom, but the wet clothes hampered her movements.

"Marinette?" She froze. She was still half the way to reach the bathroom.

"H-hi! A-Adrien! You're beautiful, I mean, what a beautiful day! Yeah! Beautiful day!" She forced a grin, laughing embarrassed when a thunder rumbled outside.

"Beautiful Day? With a damn storm outside? Idiot, idiot!" - Marinette cursed mentally, seeing Adrien raise an eyebrow.

"You're soaked!" Adrien spoke up, looking the girl from head to toe. Water still dripped from the tips of her hair "I have a towel here, wait a minute!" The boy ran to the locker and Marinette followed.

"No need, Adrien! I brought a change of dry clothes!" Mari felt like her heart was going to explode.

"Are you sure? I swear it's clean." Adrien frowned holding the towel. Did Marinette thought the towel was dirty? Was it meddling of his part to offer it? Was he breaking an intimacy barrier?

The girl looked down at Adrien's hands. He was holding a blue towel and even three steps away from him she could feel the soap smell emanating from the fabric. Would it be impolite to accept it? Marinette felt a chill. Adrien realized, and reached out the towel.

"You're freezing," he murmured and felt his heart beat faster when he heard his own voice. He didn't want Marinette to think he was forcing her to pick up the towel, but he also didn't want the girl to get sick if he could avoid it.

Mari reached out slowly, grabbing the towel. She felt her fingers sinking into the soft fabric and the soap fragrance invaded her nostrils. For a brief moment, she was unsure if her fingers touched his or not, and her face got hot.

"A-ah! I-I don't have anything to thank you pro-properly, but..." Marinette removed the left handle of the backpack from her shoulder and spun around to pick up the pot of croissants that her mother gave her.

The moment Marinette turned her body, Adrien's eyes fell on the girl's torso. The white blouse was wet and glued to her body, and he briefly flushed with the vision, but his gaze immediately went from shy to serious at the exact moment her coat lifted and he saw the dark spot over her ribs. Adrien didn't understand much about people and how to relate to them, but all the years of martial arts training and fencing fights made his eyes more than prepared to detect signs of bruises. And that was definitely one. And very big one.

"H-Here!" Marinette cheeks were red, and her arms were outstretched towards him, holding a pot " These are croissants from our bakery! I d-don't know if you eat these things, but my parents bake with love, and I love you, I mean, the croissants, I mean, my parents! My mom really likes this pot! " Marinette felt her face burning with shame and wanted to jump off a roof.  
   
Adrien reached out and grabbed the pot, opening the lid. The croissants were golden and. The vision left him salivating. He almost never had the chance to eat delicious stuff. His father was very demanding of the ammount of calories he ate per day.

"You're a model." Gabriel Agreste spoke with a serious tone, "Don't waste your time eating things that aren't good for you. Food's just to nourish, you don't have to like it. Take your job seriously."

The boy shook his head to make the thoughts disappear and closed the lid, offering a sincere smile to Marinette. Somehow, she was one of the few people who could make him feel part of the world he truly loved. Not the world of fashion shows, glamour, brand clothes and small talk. But part of that world. The one that smelled like rain and croissants.

"Thank you, Marinette. I'll love it." He put his hand on her shoulder and left, leaving a breathless girl with wobbly legs behind him.

"He'll love it, Tikki" Marinette whispered to the kwami.

"I heard it, I heard it" A small voice came out of the bag she carried "And you know what else I heard?"

"What..?" Marinette asked holding the towel close to her chest, leaning against one of the lockers, still with a dreamy look towards the door through Adrien just passed by.

"The school bell for the second period" Tikki said.

"The school bell for the second period!!" Mari yelled and ran towards the bathroom.

Outside the classroom door on the second floor, Adrien turned around and saw Marinette entering the girls' bathroom downstairs. He looked down to the door handle and watched his own hand thoughtfully for a few seconds before going inside the classroom.

\----------------------

When Adrian opened the door, the first thing he saw was Nino staring at him. He then walked around the class and sat in his place, not daring to look at his friend. Nino put his hand on Adrien's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile when their eyes met, realizing what had happened.

"We'll celebrate again some other time." Nino said quietly, smile still on his lips, while the teacher was facing the board, writing down math problems.

"Yeah. Some other time." Adrien lowered his head to the notebook, continuing to copy from where he left off. He was starting to get used to not be present in the activities that his colleagues participated. He thought that when he started attending classes at school and having contact with other people his age, he would finally feel what it was to be a teenager, but perhaps it was all an illusion. He then gulped, as if to make all the angst words that began to take shape at the tip of his tongue disappear.

"Hey, do you know about Marinette?" Adrien heard a whisper behind him. He knew it was Alya. He leaned back without turning around and whispered back "She's downstairs changing clothes. She was drenched from the rain." Alya's and Nino's low laughter in unison relieved some of the anxiety he had in his chest.

"That's so like Marinette." Nino hid his mouth to prevent laughing louder.

As summoned by the conversation, Marinette opened the classroom door and walked foot by foot to her place next to Alya. Adrien saw Mari move in silence, but when she noticed the boy's stare she waved embarrassed, just a little before stumbling on the step next to her class and hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The entire classroom fell into a fit of laughter while Marinette got up with the help of Alya, and the teacher scolded all the class for the laughter and Marinette for being late.

Adrien didn't laugh. His eyes were serious and fixated on the right hand of the girl pressed against her left ribs, about where should be the bruise he saw. Marinette's face showed no pain, just a embarrassed smile. Falling like that wasn't the reason for such an ugly bruise. Not on a girl her age. More than that, tumbles wouldn't explain her being able to cope so easily with pain as she was used to it. What was happening to Marinette?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you find any errors! ^^  
> Also, comments and kudos are my croissants <3


	3. Limits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready?  
> Go!

Class was taking forever and Marinette had to be awakened twice. Needless to say, both of the times in science class. Because of that, she was forced to stay after school for more than an hour answering an extra test. When she got released, Alya and Nino still waited for her, and she smiled to see them there.

"What are you still doing here?" Marinette asked, accelerating the step to join them.

"Wow, you're already out, Marinette?" Alya glanced at the time on her phone, "We were chatting and ended up losing track of time!" then she turned to Nino "We were commenting on how Adrien was sad today in class and just now when we said goodbye. It seems that he really won't be able to go to Nino's party."

Mari watched as Nino lowed his head, staring at the floor. "I don't know how Adrien puts up with his father" the boy began, and his voice had a touch of ferocity "That man keeps dragging him around! He thinks he's a big deal just because he makes expensive clothes! But nice things are for free! Lie Adrien coming to my birthday party! Ugh, that makes me so mad! " then Nino kicked a small stone that was near his feet.

Alya and Marinette looked at each other. Nino and Adrien were best friends for a long time already, and both of the girls both knew how much they cared about each other. Silence became heavy, and Marinette felt the urge to say something and be the ice-breaker.

"But Nino, do you have any idea on how Adrien is feeling?" Alya raised her head quickly to look at her friend, and Nino relaxed his furrowed brow. "Like right now, he's probably at a place where he doesn't want to be. And I'm pretty sure he would trade anything to be here with you, and that he's also suffering he can't do it." Marinette touched Nino's shoulder and Alya smiled tenderly. Mari looked at her ginger friend and saw pride in her eyes.

"You're right, Marinette. I only thought about myself. I'm not being a good friend." Nino whispered.

"You're a great friend, Nino. You're just upset and it's normal. And that's alright." Alya smiled at the boy and hugged his neck with her arm, bringing him close. "Now let's forget about this story and celebrate someone becoming an elderly?" The redhead laughed "What time in your house, Nino?"

"At 8pm!" Nino grinned "I made a selection of kick-ass songs!"

"I bet you did!" Alya seemed excited "See you there then!" And Nino left the two girls behind.

"He was pretty upset, huh?" Marinette asked, watching Nino's back.

"Adrien's his best friend. It makes sense." Alya said.

"It does, but ..." Marinette's eyes lit up, and the girl grabbed Alya's arms strongly, shouting "Alya! Do you have Adrien's number!?"

"Good God, girl! You'll break me in half like that!" Alya laughed, picking up the phone inside her bag "And where did all this courage came from? Did you finally decided to confess?" The redhead gave her a playful look.

"Stop it, Alya! Seriously! I had an idea to make Nino and Adrien be happy again! Pass me his number, please!" Marinette implored, getting her own phone to save the number.

"I was sure you had his number on your phone" Alya laughed "With that little heart emoji on it."

"You know very well that I had to delete it because I was afraid to send him another one of those embarassing voice messages!" Mari was frowning, feigning indignation, but after it was over, remembering it was a bit funny. Or a lot funny, considering on how Alya still hadn't stop laughing.

"Okay, okay, here" The girl reached out the device to Marinette, who copied the number on her own phone "Just don't do anything too crazy. But in case you do, call me and tell me beforehand, because you know how much I love crazy!" They laughed so much that Marinette had a coughing fit "Just don't die on me, Mari!" They both kept on laughing for a whle, but Marinette felt a sharp pain in her chest while coughing and had to disguise it. "All right then, we talk later! I'll call you to give you some more details, otherwise I'll see you at Nino's!" Marinette smiled at her friend "See ya later!" Alya shook saying goodbye, and the girls went separate ways.

Marinette held the phone close to her chest. The pain was over. She thought that perhaps it was only the laughter, so she decided to ignore.

Now what she had to do was build up the courage to push the dial button and hear Adrien'd voice. More than that, she needed to gather courage to speak something that made sense without messing it up completely.

"A text message! Yes!" the girl grinned to herself, unlocking the phone, "You're a genius, Mari!"

"What will you do, Marinette?" she heard the Kwami ask from the bag.

"I'll find a way to make Adrien show up at Nino's party, even if just for a little" Mari opened a new text message, smiling and thanking the techonology gods for inventing something where she could communicate with Adrien without stammering miserably. She opened the digital keyboard and started typing.

[Hi, Adrien, it's Marinette. I hope you don't mind I'm sending you this text message, but I wanted to know how long your photoshoot's gonna take, because I have a plan to help you go to Nino's party! ]

Marinette read and reread the message. She waited for the answer for a few seconds, but when it didn't come she then decided to walk home, keeping the phone in hand, in case he answered. The moment she was crossing the street the phone vibrated, and she pulled the device to her eyes' height, smiling in advance. Her smile faded immediately as her eyes grew wide and her heart raced.

Adrien. Calling. Her.

The phone made three leaps in the air before Marinette getting it firmly in her hands again. She placed the index finger on the answer button and held it there for several seconds, shaking uncontrollably. If she answered, it'd be a mess. If she didn't, it would be rude. Mari held up the phone on the air like it was a grenade about to explode and pressed the button with eyes closed shut.

"Marinette?" The voice came from the other side, and when she was about to answer, she choked on her own saliva and had a coughing fit. A godamn ugly coughing fit. One of those you're even ashamed to tell people about. It would even be quite funny if she could breathe. What wasn't happening.

The cough went on and on, to the point she had to bend down to block the spasms and try to pull some air. Without realizing it, in the meantime, she hung up the phone on Adrien, before even being able to respond. She didn't know what was stronger: shame, anger, or breathlessness. She sat on the sidewalk's curb trying to pull oxygen into her lungs, but she was surely having a hard time with it.

"Marinette, what's wrong with you?" She heard the little voice inside the bag asking her.

"I don't know, Tikki." Marinette wiped the tears caused by the cough effort, then she felt a chill through her body, and threw her arms around herself in an attempt to stay warm. She saw the kwami taking flight from inside the bag and touching her forehead.

"Marinette, you're burning!" Tikki looked deep into the girl's eyes who was breathing heavily. Mari felt like she had tons of sand inside her lungs.

"Adrien" Mari recalled, gasping, grabbing the phone. She saw two missed calls, both from the boy and 4 new messages in her inbox.

[ Marinette, are you okay? ]

[ Are you there? ]

[ Hey, is everything altight? ]

[ Please answer me ]

The girl got up from the ground with difficulty and started walking towards her home. In the meantime, night already took over Paris' sky. She had to answer Adrien's messages, but before that she needed to find a place to sit down where she didn't scare the shit out of people walking on the streets.

\------------------------------------------

Adrien saw an alert jumping on his mobile screen and raised an eyebrow when he saw it was Marinette. He was inside the studio dressing room, already prepared for the photoshoot, just waiting for photographers to end the arrangements. He opened the message and while reading it his gaze turned from doubtful to joyful. 

[Hi, Adrien, it's Marinette. I hope you don't mind I'm sending you this text message, but I wanted to know how long your photoshoot's gonna take, because I have a plan to help you go to Nino's party! ]

He didn't know what Marinette had in mind, but whatever the plan was, he was in! He'd do anything to try not to lose his best friend's party.

"It's 7pm now" he thought, performing mental arithmetic "About half an hour for each outfit plus 15 minutes between them to change clothes and rest a bit..." He tapped his right forefinger on the fingers of the left hand, calculating "They might take home around 10pm! " He thought, settling the dressing room bench and grabbing the phone to reply the girl, but then he stopped.

The boy was curious about Marinette plan. He wanted to know what she had in mind. More than that, he wouldn't want her getting in trouble because of him. He looked down at the mobile screen pressed the dial button to contact her. He heard a click on the other side.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked smiling, but instead of a response he heard Marinette coughing, as if choking. He covered his mouth to disguise the laugh, but went serious after notiving she wasnt't recovering from the fit.

"Marinette, what's wrong?" But the cough didn't stop and he didn't had an answer "Marinette !?" Without even realizing it, he was already on his feet, screaming on the phone, pacing up inside the dressing room. On the next second, line went dead. He pressed the redial button immediately with his heart leaping inside his throat. The girl didn't answer. Maybe she was still recovering and couldn't speak, so he sent the first message:

[ Marinette, are you okay? ]

Ten seconds. Nothing. He called again. Nothing. Adrien grunted, sitting in the dressing room's couch. He kept on sending messages, and for every minute he had no answer, he got more and more nervous.

"What happened?" Plagg appeared in front of Adrien's concerned face "You're making the same face I do when we're out of cheese!"

"It's Marinette. She had a nasty coughing fit and hung up the phone. Now she's not picking up the calls nor answering my messages." Adrien ran a hand through his hair and leaned back on the couch "There's something weird going on with Marinette, Plagg." He looked at the phone, sighing worried.

"Which kind of weird?" The black kwami asked curiously, after all it wasn't everyday Adrien looked that worried. Three knocks were heard at the door and a girl on her 20's entered the dressing room.

"Mr. Adrien, the photoshoot will have to be canceled today. Your father got called to an emergency meeting in Milan. The car is outside waiting to send you home." The girl in formal clothes and clipboard in hand left, closing the door behind her.

"I don't know whether I should be sad or happy about it" Adrien tilted his head to the side, thinking.

"Now maybe you can go to Nino's party! And I bet they'll have cheese snacks!" Plagg spoke happily, while flicking the tips of his ears "Oh, but about what you were talking, what do you think is wrong with Marinette?" Plagg asked, recalling the conversation they were having.

"I don't know, but this morning ..." Adrien paused thoughtfully. He had some free time now, he could do whatever he wanted "Plagg, I think I'll go see if Marinette is okay, and then I can go to Nino's party!" The boy smiled to himself. He loved those little moments of freedom given to him, even if unintentionally.

"Come on! I love the cheese snacks her mom makes!" Plagg twirled in the air, celebrating the possibilities, and Adrien laughed at the priorities of the starved Kwami.

\------------------------------------------

Marinette opened the house door and staggered. She felt the cold seeping into her bones and hier vision blurred. Breathing was very, very hard.

"Mom?" the girl called, breathing in. She didn't hear any answers "Dad?" Nothing.

Tikki left the little pink bag, realizing that the two of them were home alone. She saw a note from Mrs. Dupain-Cheng on the bakery counter, warning that the couple would make a last minute salty delivery in the nearby town and would come back home late.

"You need to call someone, Marinette. You're not okay." Tikki watched Marinette's uncertain steps going up the stairs towards the bedroom.

"I know, I'll call Alya." Mari opened her backpack with difficulty, kneeling on the ground, panting. She picked the phone in her hands and felt the world spinning. In the next second, everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything will be fine.  
> Or not.  
> (Please don't kill me)


	4. Uncovering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one there has diabetes, because there's sugar EVERYWHERE!

"Alya, do you know about Marinette?" Adrien was on the phone inside the car, heading to Marinette's house.

"No, why? Should I?" Alya put a hand on her hip and felt a smirk scratching her lips. What those two have been doing?

"I'm trying to call her, but she's not answering the phone." The boy scratched his neck "When was the last time you talked to her?"

"Hmm, a bit after you left, Marinette was released from school. We chatted for a bit, she asked me your number and then we said goodbye" Alya was at home ready to shower, recapitulating the latest events. "You want me to try to call her?" Adrien felt the car stop and looked out the window. He had arrived at the Marinette's house.

"No need, I just got here. I'll call you, Alya" The boy said, hanging up and putting down the phone. He felt the driver's door slam, indicating that the man was going around the car to open the back door.

"I'll stay here," Adrien said "I'll call for you to pick me up later, okay?" He smiled at the driver, who nodded, entering the car and driving away. Plagg emerged from Adrien's bag, and his nose shook effusively in the air.

"No cheese smell? Yeah, I thik there's no reason for us to go in, Adrien. Let's go to Nino's, is a much better idea. Marinette's probably..." Plagg saw Adrien walk past him looking directly at the bakery door. Apparently, he was not even listening to what the Kwami was saying. He moved his hand towards the doorknob and turned it, hearing the doorbell and waiting for someone to show up.

"Hello?" The boy's voice resounded through the room. Air's temperature was cool, a sign that nothing was in the oven. Maybe her parents weren't at home. He felt a small presence flying near his head, and saw Plagg climbing the stairs towards Marinette's room.

"Plagg! Pss!" He called and blew through his teeth, stretching out his hand in the Kwami's direction "No! Get back here!" Adrien walked faster towards the stairs, afraid that someone could see the small black cat flying around. He stared at the top of the stairs and the already opened wooden door. Seconds that seemed like hours passed by, and Adrien didn't know whether to go up or wait there. The answer came in in the shape of a black kwami flying down the stairs like a jet plane. Adrien had only seen Plagg fly so fast in his direction when the boy carrying a box with camembert.

"Adrien, quick!" Kwami's pupils were three times their size. Adrien felt a chill in his stomach. The next thing he knew was that his body was being thrown up the stairs, guided by legs that he didn't remember commanding.

When he reacher the top, Adrien's stomach chill disappeared. Everything disappeared.He felt nothing at all, except the most utter terror. Marinette was lying on the floor, and her backpack contents were scattered around. Her phone had been dropped from her hand, screen still glowing with several calls and messages alerts. In the next second, Marinette room was no longer pink. Everything was white. Brilliant white. And what he saw on the ground wasn't Marinette anymore.

A blonde long-haired woman lied on the floor in a similar position of Marinette's, unconscious. Her clothing was like a skating figure one, in a blue and green gradient. From her waist, peacock feathers fell gracefully. It was as if she were resting. Sleeping. However, peace sensation was soon broken when a red, viscous liquid began to seep from under her body.

Adrien felt his chest rise and fall in rapid breathing. He knew that woman. He knew who she was. Why couldn't he remember? He felt a violent stab in the head and his legs went weak. At the exact moment his knees hit the ground, pink walls from Marinette's room returned.

"Adrien" He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to go back to that world. He didn't want to feel that again "Adrien!" The voice sounded far away, as if he were underwater "Adrien!" The voice called out clearly, and the boy's eyes opened up as if it were the first time, reminding him of where he was. "She's burning with fever! Do something!" Plagg was scared, and Adrien remembered why.

He crawled quickly to Marinette, taking her in his arms. Girl's hair was glued on her face, sweat soaked her forehead and her breathing was quick and heavy. Without thinking twice, he lifted her and carried her to bed. Adrien had never realized how Marinette seemed fragile. Her body was small and light, and for a moment he felt he could break her if he wasn't careful enough. He walked with the girl in his arms and placed her on the bed gently, sitting beside her.

He frowned in concern and rubbed Marinette's face, pushing away the loose hair strands. As if reacting to his touch, Marinette expired and pressed her face against his hand. He smiled sheepishly. Everything would be fine. He would find a way, whatever it was, for her to be fine.

"I found this." Plagg came in with a paper sheet in hand. Adrien read the note where her parents said they wouldn't return so soon, and his concern intensified. If he told them what had happened to the girl, they would be immensely worried, and would return from trip, since that's what real parents do. Adrien lowered his head and stared at Marinette, with those thoughts in mind. Alya? Yes, Alya!

Adrien pulled out the phone, sought Alya's contact and dialed. No one answered. He tried again. Nothing. "Honestly, I have no idea why do people even own a cell phone!" He was infuriated, running the hands through his hair. On the other side of Paris, Alya showered while her cellphone repeatedly ringed on the bed.

"Of course!" Adrien quickly dialed the number he knew by heart "Here's someone here who I know will answer me" He heard two rings, and a click on the other side.

"Adrien?" the boy smiled pleased to hear the gentle voice.

"Nathalie, I need a favor!" and what seemed like an eternal silence until she answered What do you need?" Adrien felt his heart beat stronger. Nathalie was like a family member to him, sometimes even more than his own father, and knewing he could count on her made him very happy.

"I need you to send a doctor at the address I'll write on the message. It's really important" Adrien got up from the bed where he was sitting, and looked at Marinette's face "It's for a friend who's not too well. Tell him she has a high fever and it's breathing hard. And please make it quick. " He heard a sigh and a pause.

"And you, are you okay?" Nathalie's voice was seemed worried, and Adrien felt his chest warm with the concern of his father's secretary that would'nt even care about him. "Yes I am, Nathalie, thank you. I'll return home later today, okay? If you need me, I'll be on the message address, don't worry." And they hung up.

"Nathalie is cool" Adrien heard Plagg's voice behind his head.

"She is" Adrien said typing Marinette's address, and turning around seriously to face the kwami "Plagg, you need to hide somewhere. If Marinette wakes up and sees you ..." the little black cat bowed his head in defeat, "I know, I know. I'm going downstairs. Who knows, maybe I'll even find some cheese there!" the boy covered his face with his hand. Troubless never hindered the kwami's appetite.

Adrien looked down and saw the blue towel he had lent to Marinette earlier neatly folded, dropped from her backpack. He picked it up from the floor, going to the small bathroom that was attached to Marinette's room in the attic. The small room smelled of perfume and cherry shampoo. Sweet and soft. He felt his face getting hot and shook his head to not lose the focus. Adrien turned on the faucet and wet the fabric completely, twisting it to remove the excess water. He carried the towel to Marinette's bed and sat down beside her.

Adrien saw how the girl was struggling to breathe and how much she seemed to be suffering. His heart broke to see her that way and being unable to do much. He touched Mari's face carefully with the wet fabric, hoping to lower her fever. He didn't understand much about caring for sick people, but he knew that cold compresses would help lower body temperature. Marinette reacted to the towel's touch, relaxing her facial expression. Seeing Marinette's made Adrien filled Adrien's stomach with butterflies. Just a few times during his life he had an opportunity to take care of someone. With his right hand, he gently moved away her fringe, positioning the fresh towel over Marinette's feverish forehead.

Adrien put the right elbow on his knee, and tilted his head to the side, watching the sleeping girl. Marinette sat behind him in school, and when they were out of class she always seemed in a hurry or agitated, so they rarely had the opportunity to talk. He remembered times he went to her house, and how comfortable he felt there, even though it was a strange place. He looked at Marinette's room and wondered how many things about her he still didn't know.

"Adrien?" green eyes quickly fell on her at the moment he heard his name sounding in a low, uncertain voice. Her eyes were still closed. "Hi, Marinette, it's me?" He leaned closer to her, smiling.

"No, no!" Marinette frowned, and her breathing quickened "Adrien, no! Watch out!" Marinette's voice was higher, urgent, and she was struggling. Adrien panicked "Hey, Marinette! Hey!" He held the girl's shoulder gently, leaning over her body for her to hear him "It's okay. It's okay." He felt her body relax as he spoke "I'm here. It's okay. I'm won't leave."

Adrien took Marinette's hands of Marinette inside his, like he was making a protective shell. then he felt the girl breathe deeply and sob, as if recovering from a crying jag, but he saw no tears "It will be all right, Marinette. I promise. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" And then Marinette's breathing returned to how it was.

The boy expired in relief. He still felt his chest pounding in concern, but having manageg to calm her down made him feel much better. By the time he was going up to wet the towel again, the doorbell rang. The doctor. Finally.

He ran downstairs and opened the door for the middle-aged man, and smiled hopefully. Dr. Dousseau was Adrien's doctor since forever. The boy had been sick very few times in life, but in all of them Gerard Dousseau was there to help him. He trusted the man with his own life.

"Hello, Mr. Agreste" The doctor did a little bow playfully and Adrien grinned. Gerard called him 'Mr. Agreste' mockingly since he heard an employee addressing the boy that way when he was only 6 years old. After realizing Adrien was uncomfortable with the nickname, it caught easier and faster.

"Thank you for coming, doctor. When I arrived, she was passed out. It shouldn't have been for too long, because she answered a call I did about half an hour before I got here. She's got a high fever and it's breathing heavily "Adrien explained as he led Gerard upstairs to Marinette's room.

Dr. Dousseau examined Marinette for a few minutes while Adrien sat in the pink chair near the desk. He saw Gerard putting away his stethoscope in the bag, removing some medicines from there "I'm glad you thought of telling Nathalie some of your friend's symptoms, because of that I could bring some medications with me" Adrien nodded seriously "I thought it was important for you to know" the doctor checked the medications on his hands "And you were right. Your friend has pneumonia. it's nothing too serious, but she has to do the right treatment for it , otherwise she'll have to be hospitalized."

Adrien gulped, paying attention "She has to take this one every eight hours, this every six hours and this one every four hours if the fever goes on" Dr. Dousseau gave the pills to Adrien, who memorized everything carefully. The boy went to the desk and sorted out the medications to not mix them up.

"You did a great job, she'll be fine" Gerard smiled at the boy, placing his right hand on Adrien's shoulder and holding the small suitcase with the left, adding up "Mr. Agreste." Adrien laughed and followed the man to the exit, thanking him several times. He did any inquiries would be charged directly from his father, but Gabriel Agreste never cared about money.

Adrien went to the kitchen, filled a glass of water and went to Marinette's room. He knew she needed to start taking the medication as soon as possible to get better. He went to the desk, sorted the pills and sat beside the girl in bed "Hey, Marinette" he called in a whisper, hoping she heard "Come on, wake up" He got the towel from her forehead, and immediately the girl frowned. Reaction. That was good. "Come on, real quick, then you come back to rest" Despite his requests, girl's eyes were closed.

He tried showing some resolution "Marinette, here, you need this to get better" Adrien then put his hand behind her neck, pulling it slowly to sit her on the bed. "Here, take this," he said touchingz Marinette's lips with one of the tablets, which opened to accept the medicine. He offered the glass of water the same way, holding it for her and tilting it slowly so she could swallow. He repeated the process three times for each one of the tablets, slowly and carefully, as Marinette wasn't fully awake. He smiled pleased with himself for being able to make her take the medicine. He put his hand behind the girl's neck to help her lie down, and then the chain of irreversible events began.

Adrien felt Marinette's arms involving his neck, and froze. He felt the girl's breathe next to his neck and that caused him sensations he couldn't describe "Marinette, please," he closed his eyes tightly, praying she would let him go and, in response, something worse happened. Her voice in his ear.

"Adrien"

Breathy and slow, Marinette's voice penetrated Adrien's soul like an arrow. His heart jumped, and for a minute he forgot how to breathe. He didn't move a muscle. Marinette's body heat mixed with his. He felt her arms around his neck relaxing, taking the opportunity to lie her down back on the pillow.

He spent several minutes looking at the girl's sleeping face. For some unexplained reason, she seemed more beautiful than he remembered. He felt his heart pounding and eyes widening with thoughts that were beginning to take control of his mind. What was happening to him? Adrien pushed up his own body to get out of the bed and felt a resistance around his right wrist. He looked down and saw Marinette lying on her side, holding him in her sleep, and he didn't notice that earlier.

Adrien sat on the floor beside the bed, observing Marinette sleeping. Over the minutes he noticed her cheeks were less red. Adrien put his right hand on the girl's forehead, realizing that the temperature had decreased as well.

The boy felt a slight smile coming to his lips when he realized even Marinette's expression was calmer. Adrien slipped his fingers from her forehead, but something kept him from breaking contact with her skin, and his hand went down slowly, caressing her face gently with his fingertips.

Adrien felt intoxicated. He couldn't explain what he was feeling, but he wanted to keep feeling it. He laid his head on Marinette's bed and put his right hand over hers. The boy kept watching Marinette's face and hearing her breathing sound becoming slower and slower, along with his. Minutes later, Adrien fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm changing kudos and comments for cookies for Tikki <3


	5. Intentions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!  
> Things are getting warmer! ;3

After several minutes searching around the Marinette's parents bakery shelves, Plagg found a pot with some snacks inside and sat right there hidden in the background to eat. When he was in the third or fourth bite, the kwami felt the fur from his back prickling. It was a familiar feeling, but an old, almost antique, familiar feeling. He finished chewing and left the shelf in a cautious flight, trying to keep himself as much as possible in the shadows. When he arrived in the living room, he confirmed his fears.

"Tikki" Plagg's voice was barely audible. He knew he'd meet the pink Kwami again, but he didn't know it'd be so soon.

"Plagg" she said, smiling and flying towards him "We need to talk." The black Kwami inspired and expired. Marinette. Of course. How he didn't notice before? Adrien would go insane when he realized the truth.

"It's beginning, isn't it?" Plagg felt the ears on his head lowering, and the feeling in his stomach that was usually hunger became fear.

"I knew this time would come." Tikki furrowed her tiny forehead and extended her hand in Plagg's direction, who held it.

"He's not ready, Tikki. Not now." The small cat spoke almost in a plea, but he knew it wasn't her place to decide.

"He'll be when the time comes" Tikki dropped Plagg's hand and went to the shelf where the frame containing the Marinette's photo with her parents rested. "And she will be there to support him, as he's here now for her." She said looking at the top of the stairs.

"Tikki ..." Plagg was about to start, but stopped when she turned around sharply and came up with teary eyes, swallowing hard to not fall into pieces in front of him.

"She doesn't have much time left, Plagg. That ..." she looked back at the top of the stairs, referring to Marinette's condition "... is only the beginning. I can give her all my strength when she's Ladybug, but if it's not enough ..." Tikki lowered her head and Plagg's eyes widened when he saw a tear running down the little pink face "...the world will lose Marinette as well."

Plagg approached and touched Tikki's face tenderly, taking a deep breath "I know, I was there. It could have been me." he placed his paw under Tikki's chin, holding it up for her to look him in the eyes "Or you. And I don't know what I'd do without you.", he finished the sentence smiling.

"Stupid cat." she laughed softly. They needed each other more than ever now.

"The chronometer is running..." Plagg said looking out at the window, repeating the sentence he had heard many, many years ago.

"...But in a snap it will stop." Tikki continued, standing beside him.

The kwamis looked at each other for a few seconds. They both knew it was inevitable, that the time was running out of control.

"He's a good kid" Plagg said in a whisper.

"I know." Tikki replied in the same tone "But he was chosen by a much greater reason than the goodness of his heart."

"And Marinette as well, wasn't she?" the little black Kwami knew it was true, that's why Tikki didn't answer, he didn't ask again, and the two remained silent.

\-------------------------------------------------

Marinette slowly opened her eyes. The bedroom light was on, and she didn't see Tikki around. She has a light headache, but it was probably for oversleeping. She looked out the window and saw that it was still dark. She yawned, sitting up in bed. Her vision was still blurred, then she rubbed her eyes and lowered the stare to the bed, where she saw a comfortably accommodated Adrien sleeping soundly.

The girl opened her eyes wide, shaking her head. She was hallucinating, there was no other poible explanation. She rubbed her eyes twice, but the image of the boy whom she wasin love with was still there, leaning against the edge of her bed. She reached out slowly in his direction. If it wasn't an hallucination, it could only be a dream, but Marinette soon regretted when her touch reached Adrien's skin and the boy flew open his eyes in awe.

"Marinette, you woke up!" he raised from the bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Did I?" she gave him a wry smile, "Y-Yeah,-I think I woke up. Even so, t-this is a dream, I mean, you look like a dream, I mean, you a-are a dream ... argh!" Marinette buried her face in her hands, cursing. Why did she made a fool of herself in front of him all the time?

"Looks like you're really back," Adrien said after laughing. That was the Marinette he knew. He breathed relieved. "I'm glad you're back" and then smiled, leaving Marinette's face between a tomato and chili tone. He interpreted her reaction as shame for him being at her house, meddling, and rose up quickly. Marinette looked at the street.

"It's night already! My God, what happened?" she rubbed her forehead, trying to remember.

"You were burning with fever. When I got here you were uncoscious" Adrien said in a low , worried voice.

"M-Me?" Marinette looked at the wall trying to remember, but the last memory she had was choking up while trying to answer Adrien's call and a few nonsense nightmares. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing the call had also been a nightmare.

"Marinette ..." Adrien said seriously, turning to face the girl, "If you need anything, anything at all, you should know that you can count on me, okay?" Adrien inadvertently let his eyes fall to the abdomen of Marinette, where he spotted her bruise earlier, and looked away quickly. She didn't notice, and he raised his head to look into her eyes "I know we don't talk too much, and you're more intimate with Alya, but whatever happens, know that I won't judge you, and I'll be here when you need me. "

Marinette saw Adrien shyness disappear for a minute, becoming more confident. It reminded her of someone she knew, but she didn't know who. Her head was still spinning a little by the restless sleep. She felt the shame disappear, and gratitude filled her chest, making a wide smile appear on her face.

"I know. Thank you, Adrien"

Adrien had never seen Marinette smile that way. He felt his face heat up and put his hand on his forehead, hoping he wasn't getting sick as well.

"I left on the desk the pills you need to take. I called a doctor to see you earlier, hope you do not mind. He said you have pneumonia, but if you do the treatment as you should and rest, you'll get well very soon" Adrien smiled, and Marinette felt even more indebted to the boy. She couldn't love him more than she already did. Or at least that's what she thought.

"T-Thanks, Adrien. I don't know how to pay you back." she said, blushing.

"Of course you do. Take care of yourself properly and call me if you need me" and Adrien winked at her.

Both of them froze. Adrien wasn't even breathing. He left his Chat Noir personality take over because he was getting used to Marinette's presence. He was letting overflow a part of him almost no one knew. A side of him he wasn't sure if he was allowed to show others, he wasn't sure it would be accepted. Marinette saw Chat Noir in front of her in a flash. The wink. The same blink. The same flirting. The girl fell into a fun laugh. It was certainly a side effect of the medications. That was certainly a very, very weird day. Adrien saw Marinette still laughing, and the effect was contagious. It was alright to be himself in front of her. She was fine. Everything was fine.

"I'll call you if I need, rest assured!" Marinette smiled, and for a second she was surprised for being able to finish a sentence without stuttering.

Adrien called the driver and went home. Marinette returned to the room, taking the medicine and going to bed, but she wasn't sleepy. She stared at the ceiling, recalling everything that had happened, and every time she remembered Adrien in her room, sleeping on her bed ... "Calm down, Marinette, he was only leaning on it," she said to herself, rolling around on the bed while hugging the pillow.

In a corner of the room, Tikki was sitting on a small pillow, watching Marinette. Her gaze was serious. The little Kwami lowered her head and, for the first time in many decades, she prayed.

Adrien got home and threw his backpack on the couch in front of the television. The bright white moonlight glowing coming through the large windows was reflecting on the room's walls, and Adrien walked to them to watch the sky. He brought a hand on his chest. He felt something different, something warm and cozy. Something sweet. He touched his face and felt the cherry scent, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, frowning, widening them right after. It wasn't possible. Was he in love with Marinette? Impossible. Absurd. He knew he loved Ladybug, and for a minute he felt guilty even thinking about that.

"I'll take a shower, maybe I'm just tired," Adrien said, but no one answered him. He looked around and didn't find Plagg. His heart raced.

"Plagg?" he asked, scanning the room with his eyes.

"Yeah?" He heard the little voice on the bed and sighed.

"What a shock, I thought I forgot you on Marinette's!" Adrien moved his hand to his chest, trying to calm down the fast heartbeats.

"No, I was in your backpack" Plagg was serious. Too serious.

"What happened?" Adrien asked, approaching. "Are you angry we didn't go to Nino's?" Adrien held his own head with both hands, "Holy crap, Nino!" he shouted, running to the sofa and picking up the phone in his hands. He saw two message alerts flashing on the screen.

**[ Adrien, if you're with Marinette let me know! We expect both of you on the party - Alya. ]**

**[ Oh my God, is she alright? ]**

**[ Alright then! If you need anything let me know! And behave yourselves ;) Kiss! ]**

  
Adrien raised an eyebrow. He didn't remember sending messages or calling to Alya. He scratched his chin, frowning while opening the outbox, where were the phone's sent messages.

**[ Alya, we wn't go to the prty. Marinette is sick, I'll stay here tday. ]**

**[ She's alrght, just a strng flu. ]**

**[ Thnks. ]**

Adrien recognized the typos.

"Plagg?" boy walked towards the Kwami, phone in hand "Was it you who sent these messages to Alya?" Adrien asked showing the cell phone screen.

"Maaaaaybe, who knows? I've done a lot today, can't remember everything." Plagg pretended, moving his ears from one side to another. "Why?"

"Because if it was you, I wanted to thank you for explaining everything to them." Adrien felt a mischievous smile crossing his own lips.

"Oh, then yeah, it was me. You're welcome!" Plagg said, nodding his head positively, and both of them bursted into laughter. Adrien stroked the kwami's head and rose from the bed, separating a change of clothes and going to take his bath. When he returned, Adrien saw Plagg eyes shut closed and thought he was already asleep, but the boy was sleepless. He lay still and closed his eyes, listening to the familiar silence that filled of his room.

The little black kwami opened his eyes, moving his head towards Adrien, who had his back turned to him. He felt his eyes closing and the tips of his ears touching the top of his head in a sign of deep sadness. The boy had already lost so much in life, and he would have to take one more thing from him. It wouldn't be easy. It wouldn't be easy at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like writing Tikki/Plagg, it's a shame it's not (yet) canon D:


	6. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the new chapter! ^3^

Deaf beats. Thuds. Bursts. Tremors.

Adrien felt his eyes pop wide awake, and for a second thought that the sounds were a dream, but when he ran to the window, he saw high waves invading the streets amidst the buildings. He threw his head towards the sky. No clouds, no rain. The morning sun shone brightly. There was a flood. It was an akuma.

"Plagg, we need to go!" Adrien shouted, running toward the bed where the Kwami was still asleep.

"No we don't, we need to sleep and ..." Adrien frowned. Lazy kwami "Plagg, claws out!" the Kwami was barely awake, but there were more important things to be done. After a vibrant green glow, Adrien transformed into Chat Noir.

He jumped out of the window, pushing up with the bat over the buildings of Paris, looking for the source of the water. Instinctively, his eyes were also looking for a red shadow flying over the buildings of the city. A few minutes later, he reached the center of the confusion.

A tall man was standing on a whirlpool over the Seine. His hands were shooking in the air like he was an orchestra maestro, but instead of instruments, the ones obeying him were high and dangerous waves taking over the city. Laughter cut through the air, sometimes being drowned out by the sound of water blasts against the walls of the buildings.

Chat Noir looked around. No sign of Ladybug. He would have to at least distract the villain until she got there to purify the akuma.

"So it looks I'm really between the devil and the deep blue sea here!" Chat Noir was on a pole, balancing like a cat on his feet.

"Give me your Miraculous Chat Noir! Or I, Seaquaker, will flood the whole city and drown each one of the people who live here!" the villain threatened, showing with a gesture of the hand the damage that he had already caused. People who had managed to escape were on the roofs of their homes, but the tide kept rising, they soon would also be taken.

"Wow, that's a lot of anger! What's wrong with you, pal?" Chat was trying to get the Seaquaker's attention as he ran the tops of buildings , looking for Ladybug with his peripheral vision.

"These people don't deserve to live! They litter the city day and night with their trash! And you know where it all ends? There!" Seaquaker pointed to Seine"And you know how long it takes to clean the pumps and keep the city safe from the floods? Forever!" the villain was gesticulating visibly angry, but Chat Noir was satisfied that as he spoke, he wasn't making the tide worst in the middle of the buildings.

"But then you're worried about the city! Flooding it all makes you the bad guy now, not those people." he took a deep breath "Come on, Ladybug, where are you?" Chat Noir told himself, between teeth, smiling to Seaquaker.

"Don't try to convince me of what you can't! Give me your Miraculous!" Seaquaker yelled, and again his hands went up, increasing the level of the waves. Chat then realized that gloves, unlike the eccentric water-green villain clothing, were dark.

"His akuma must be there." Chat Noir used the bat to propel himself and jumped from pillar to post, reaching Seaquaker. He extended his stick and threw it towards the villain to strike him. Seaquaker was distracted commanding the waves and Chat nailed the attack, throwing the villain away from the whirlpool where he was, but a new whirlpool formed in the air and rescued him before he fell into the water. Irritated, the akumatized man raised one hand and several water tunnels rose in the back of Chat Noir, closing around and elevating him in a water pipe, where Chat couldn't breathe. How ironic. He who was the fastest in swimming lessons would drown.

He felt his body lose the strength and the water began to invade his lungs. It burned like hell. He asked himself, minutes before he felt his conscience falters, if when Ladybug arrived, neutralized the akuma and everything returned to normal, he would have his life back as well.

\-----------------------------

Chat Noir felt something wrapping around his waist and his body was pulled violently. Was it that the feeling of dying? In the next minute he was on a building, coughing all the water he had swallowed.

"I thought cats didn't like water." Ladybug. He had never been so glad to hear her voice. The heroin was ducked beside him, patting his back. "Are you alright?" she smiled, but the smile was just on her lips. The look on her face was filled with concern. Chat sat, taking the oxygen load in his lungs, still coughing.

"You know you make me breathless with your beauty, my lady." Chat smiled and shook his head like a wet cat, spreading water over the building and wetting Ladybug.

"Great, Chat!" she said in sarcasm, getting up and and indicating the clothes that were dripping.

"You can send me the laundry bill later!" Chat also rose "But before that, we have a huge fish to catch!"

The two heroes gravitated towards the villain who was a few feet away from completely flooding the homes of Paris.

"The akuma is on his gloves!" Chat Noir shouted to Ladybug as they jumped from one building to another.

"I know!" both landed on the same pole near Seaquaker. Chat was holding Ladybug's waist "I was watching him." the boy looked at the heroine who was serious, frowning. Watching? Why watching? She could have just attacked. However, despite the thoughts, he didn't contest. He trusted her methods since the first time they fought together.

"Seaquaker, what do you want?" Ladybug shouted from where she was.

The villain turned to the couple, noticing her presence for the first time.

"Ladybug! I'll clean the city of those people who only know how to pollute! And then I will clear you of your Miraculous!" he laughed up his little swirl.

Ladybug broke away from Chat's arms and threw herself toward the villain without thinking twice. Chat opened his eyes wide, watching the high speed she was moving. It was amazing, much more than usual, and her eyes had a different brightness from the one he remembered. Something was happening.

"Enough of that! Lucky Charm!" she threw the yo-yo on the air, and a pair of red scissors with black dots fell into her hands. She investigated scenery around with a look. The high pole on Seaquaker's right lit. The left one did as well. She knew what to do, but she'd have to slightly change the Lucky Charm plan.

She jumped on the pole on his right and rolled the yoyo around on the top. Holding the yoyo wire, she threw herself on Seaquaker and wrapped the villain's hands that were swinging controlling the waves, landing on the left pole afterwards. Before Seaquaker reacted, she pulled the yoyo, putting his hands clamped together over his own head.

Chat Noir celebrated standing on a building next to them. He could see them but couldn't hear them. He saw Ladybug walking the yoyo wire like a regular stroll, without even losing balance and approaching Seaquaker with scissors in hand. Chat stretched. Ladybug would cut his gloves, neutralize the akuma, and he would go home and get some extra sleep. She crouched above the villain on the yoyo cord, placing the scissors on the glove's bar. And she didn't cut it. The smile disappeared from Chat's lips.

Chat watched in horror as she talked to the villain. Seaquaker was shooking his head as if denying something, and she kept insisting, shaking the edge of the scissors with the fabric of the gloves in it. Chat extended his cane, pushing to land on one of the poles where Ladybug had wrapped her yo-yo on.

"Where is he!?" she screamed near the man's ear "If you don't speak, you'll lose your powers!" Ladybug earring flashed for the first time, signaling that the transformation would not last long.

"I don't know! And e-even if I did, I'd never tell you!" Seaquaker shouted back, but the anxiety in his voice was apparent. From where he stood, Chat could see drops of sweat running down his face.

"Ladybug, what are you doing? Cut it already!" Chat didn't understand what was happening.

"Be quiet, Chat Noir! I have a score to settle with him!" and she pushed the scissors deeper into the gloves fabric "Tell me! Where is he!?" after a few seconds of silence, Marinette took off one of the man's glove, placing it between the scissors' blade. She knew she had to take off both of the gloves for him to be released from the akuma. "I'm serious here! What did you see when transforming!?"

Seaquaker watched the glove with a fearful sight "What difference does it make? If I talk he'll take away my powers anyway!"

"But at least he won't do this..." Ladybug cut the fingers of the glove one by one, letting them fall into the water below them. Her earrings shone for the second time. The villain struggled.

"Stop! No! Don't throw garbage in the water!" he was struggling so much that his wrists began to turn red. Chat Noir saw the scene in shock.

"Ladybug, that's enough!" The black cat ran up to them and held Ladybug's wrist, preventing her from using the scissors again. When she turned to him, he felt like a complete stranger.

"Let go of me! This is between me and him!" Ladybug held out her left hand to the other glove Seaquaker was still wearing, ignoring the earring's third beep "Speak up! What did you see?"

Chat Noir didn't know what to do. His heart was jumping wildly in his chest, filled with worry. He had no idea what was happening to his partner, but he was sure of one thing: She was afraid. And so was he seeing her like that.

"A window" Seaquaker spoke so low that Ladybug had to bend down to hear. Instinctively, Chat let go of her wrist. "Big, round, and the Eiffel Tower in the distance, on the right..." Seaquaker started screaming. He couldn't finish the sentence. His body thrashed. Ladybug and Chat Noir saw the man lose consciousness and return to human form, and the akuma loosened alone from the glove that was still on his hand. But the butterfly didn't fly away. The small animal landed on Ladybug's shoulder gently, as if he was looking at her. Watching. Waiting. Calling. The messenger of cruelty. Black. Purple. Abominable.

The two heroes saw the flood going back to Seine as if it were a film being rewound, leaving a dry Paris and confused people behind.

Ladybug released the man as Chat Noir was holding him, leaning on the cane that was shrunking to the already dry ground, and laying him there. The heroine retrieved her yo-yo and captured the akuma, neutralizing and releasing the white butterfly back to the nature, listening to the last beep from the Miraculous. Everything returned to normal, but she only had one more minute to run away. And exhaustion took over her body.

Chat Noir saw the girl stumble while trying to walk, and his eyes widened. She looked disoriented. Exhausted. Sick. There were a lot of people around. Too much attention. He did know that her transformation would end it soon, but he still had a few minutes. He had to protect her.

He held her waist and pushed the stick as far away as he could. He found a dark alley in an empty corner of the city and sat her on the floor. She was breathless by fatigue and he by worry and effort, but Chat knew she wasn't ready to reveal her identity to him. Not in that moment. Not in those conditions.

He sat behind Ladybug and supported her back on his, helping her to sit straight. He felt his heart beating in his neck. He took a deep breath once, twice, thrice, and the dark walls of the alley glowed pink, and a few seconds later, it glowed green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the original fic is being written another language, I need to translate every chapter for you to read, so I'm sorry if it's taking too long to release new chapters :( I'll try to do it as fast as I can!  
> I thought about not translating it anymore, but I know some of you are reading and liking it, so I'll keep working on it!  
> Please leave kudos and comments if you like it! ^^


	7. Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Revelations and conversations

Ladybug was feeling numb, like something was controlling her limbs and her movements. Before she realized, she was yelling at Chat Noir.

"Don't yell at him," her own voice shouted inside her head "It's not his fault"

She saw the look in Chat's eyes and it was like he wasn't recognizing her, and then she heard Seaquaker's voice. And the rest of the world fell silent. A butterfly landed on Marinette's shoulder, and she heard a deep voice sounding inside her head:

"You're getting weaker and weaker by the day and I'm getting a step closer to retrieve what's rightfully mine. What they took away from me. My doors are always open for you, Ladybug, but don't forget one thing: There's no turning back."

Hawkmoth. She would find him. She would end that once and for all. Paris' and the world's future depended on that, depended on her. And she wouldn't let anything or anyone stand in her way.

She knew her transformation was about to end, but her legs didn't answer. She was exhausted. She wanted to sleep. Then she felt something pulling her, and the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Ladybug looked up and saw Chat's staring up with a determined look on his face. Next second she realized, she was sitting on the floor, staring at her own feet. She wasn't wearing her uniform. She wasn't Ladybug anymore.

She looked around. It was a dark alley, and she barely remembered how she got there. That was definitely a weird day. Marinette started moving to get up, but then she felt a pressure on her neck.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that" Chat's voice. He was pressing the back of his head against hers, warning that she shouldn't get up.

"C-Chat?" Marinette gulped. He had seen her. He knew her secret. Her heart began to pound furiously and a strong buzz took over her ears.

"Calm down, I didn't see anything. I wasn't looking when your transformation ran out. I'm also not Chat Noir now." he was serious, and she felt the muscles in his back stiffen against hers. They were now just a boy and a girl sitting alone in a dark alley in the middle of Paris, only a turn away from knowing each other's real identity.

He could've turned, could've seen her, and she knew how much he wanted that. He more than once insisted for her to stay, to show him who she really was under the mask, but to protect their identity was to protect the people she loved, and the more she did trust Chat Noir, she also knew that wasn't the time nor the place to reveal her secret.

"What happened?" she asked holding her own head, trying to remember exactly the last events. Tikki was lying on her lap, in deep sleep.

"I think it's my time to ask things now. What's going on, Ladybug?" Marinette never heard Chat sounding so serious. She could hear the anguish in his voice. Should she share what Tikki told her? Would he support her? Or would he judge her and consider her unfitting for the heroine's work?

"I ..." Marinette began, but the words were so heavy and filled with so much fear that she nearly choked on them.

"Ladybug ..." the cat paused, as if taking courage to go on with the reasoning "The masks can change how we behave, but they don't change who we are on the inside or our true intentions. And my intention is to stay by your side, and help as much as I can."

Marinette lowered her head and her chin almost touched her chest. How could she think badly of the partner that so often risked his own life to help her? She should trust him as he trusted her. She was being selfish. She knew the truth would worry him, but hiding it would hurt him even more.

"I'm going after Hawkmoth."

"What?! Ladybug, you-" Chat screamed and she felt him getting away from her.

"Don't turn away!" she yelled and felt sorry for doing it, repeating lower after that "Please, don't turn away."

Marinette felt the boy's back touching hers again, and his ribs expanded in a deep breath. After a bit of silence, she continued.

"I need to end this. We don't have much time." and then she whispered, "I don't have much time."

"Please tell me." His voice was sweet and full of pain. She didn't mean to tell him and she didn't want to, but she realized how weak she was to do it all by herself.

"The chronometer is running, but in a snap it'll stop." Marinette murmured, looking up at the slice of blue sky hunging over the alley, with small traces of fluffy clouds crawling lazily above them.

"What does that mean?" Chat asked, stretching his back against hers.

"My Kwami told me that" Marinette breathed deeply twices and began explaining her partner what she knew.

"We kept waiting for the akuma to show up to be neutralized, thinking that was enough ..." she paused and continued, "... but the truth is that every akuma we captured stole a bit of my energy to be de-evilized."

"What? Isn't that the Miraculous function?" Marinette smiled sadly. He asked the same questions she had asked Tikki.

"The Miraculous function is to neutralize the akuma, and my job is to carry the Miraculous, so while I'm Ladybug, everything that happens to it, happens to me as well."

"But when you finish neutralizing the akuma, doesn't things go back to what they were before?" Chat was asking questions, but she hoped he'd stop, because every question she had to answer, she felt like she was worrying him even more.

"Yeah, it all comes back to normal, including me, but my healing power is decreasing, it's running out. I thought it was an infinite power, but it's not. For the world not to be at risk, the Miraculous uses all the energy it can to recover the ravages from the akuma, and there is not much left for me. " Marinette repeated Tikki's words, trying to minimize the impact of so much information.

Chat remained quiet. He looked at Plagg soundly sleeping on his hands, oblivious to everything that happened. Why didn't his kwami know about that? And if he did, why hadn't he told him? When they got home, both of them would have a very serious conversation.

Marinette noticed Chat's silence. She wondered what was going through his head. She wanted to know, but she was also afraid of the answer. She then decided to continue "We're the yin and the yang, you and me. We're what keeps the good and evil balance in the world and between the Miraculous. Why do you think Hawmoth never took your Miraculous first? Why did he always wanted mine first?"

"I don't know, I never tried to undertand it. I thought he wasn't thinking it through." Chat Noir replied, looking at the same sky Marinette was observing.

"He's thinking it through, better than both of us actually. My Miraculous is the only one able to purify the evil. It's the only one able to fix stuff, to cure. If the world loses it, it loses its balance. And you, on the other hand, will get more power ... "

"But that's good, isn't it? If I gain more power, I can destroy Hawkmoth" Marinette heard the smile in the boy's voice.

"And yourself as well, Chat. Your cataclysm has an immeasurable power, but it destroys only what you want because you can control it. Now imagine if you cause immense destruction and besides being unable to control it I can't make everything go back to normal? "

Marinette ran her hands over her own face. She was tired, but she had to continue.

"That's why I'm here. That's why you're here. That's why we're together. To mantain the balance." Marinette clenched her teeth, angry with herself for not realizing it before "All these Akuma, all this running around, he was just buying time."

Adrien was gathering pieces inside his head. So that's why she was acting so strange, and why she looked so sick. He felt a snap in the back of his head, and Marinette image flashed in front of him. Would it be it...?

"Ladybug, are you sick?" He had to ask, or he'd choke on the words.

Marinette's eyes widened. A wrong answer and she could lose everything.

"I'm not feeling bad, but I'm getting worse." Neither a yes nor a no, not a lie. She was starting to get good at the wrong things for the wrong reasons. She smiled sadly to herself.

"How long do we have?" she heard Chat's voice and her heart warmed up. She should know from the start that he would understand and support her. He was one of the only people in the world who stood beside her whatever it happened. Even when she acted like a heartless idiot.

" 'The chronometer is running' - That's what my Kwami said -. This means that our time is running out, and 'in a snap it will stop' means that at any moment now this time will end" and she whispered hoping he'd not hear "Taking me with it."

Marinette felt a weight on her right shoulder and hair that weren't hers touched her face. Chat Noir was lying the back of his head on her shoulder. Mari had never noticed how taller than her he was. She smiled at the thought. So much time being with each other and the truth was she didn't know him that much.

"That won't happen." she heard the deep voice of the boy pounding in his ears like a prayer, like a promise "I won't let it happen."

The girl felt herself tearing up. How could he be so incredible and so stupid at the same time? She chuckled at the thought.

"Stupid cat" She laughed softly and leaned the back of her head on his shoulder as well.

" _Your_ stupid cat, my lady." Their cheeks brushed on each other's, skin against skin, a soft, intimate touch, but their eyes were still fixed on the blue sky above and the future awaiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! ^-^  
> How do you like the story so far?  
> Let me know ;3


	8. Origin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fasten your seatbelts!  
> This will be one heck of a ride!

Marinette felt Chat's back relax and contract against hers when breathing. She realized he was controlling the movements so that she could be more comfortable. She quietly touched the head of the little Kwami resting on her lap and she felt the whole world's weight falling her shoulders at once.

Being Ladybug had a higher price than she was getting to afford. She was usually late at school, worrying her parents and friends, putting people she loved in danger and needing to hide her identity from everything and everyone, including from the boy who now was sitting behind her. Chat Noir was the best partner she could ever have. Marinette smiled to herself at the thought that the price of the partnership were his terrible puns, but also felt a warming sensation knowing how much he trusted in her decisions and respected her wishes. For a second, just a tiny little second there, she wondered if one day she could turn to love him.

"I need to get home before lunchtime" Marinette said "Can I get up?"

"Sure. I'll stay here a while until you put some distance between us. Don't worry, cats are curious, but this one knows how to control himself." she noticed that the light tone of joke had returned to his voice, and breathed out in relief.

"Today's Saturday, right? Let's patrol later?" She asked without turning around, looking down and putting Tikki carefully within her small bag.

"I'll be at our usual place, my lady! See ya there."

"See ya, Chat!" Marinette ran off, leaving Adrien sitting alone and thoughtful in the middle of the alley.

"What will I do, Plagg?" Adrien looked at the little Kwami lying on his lap "What will I do if something happens to her?" he embraced his own body and winced as if he had taken a blow on the stomach. "I need to be strong. For me, for her and for Paris. I need to get much stronger." the boy got up from the floor, putting Plagg carefully inside his jacket's pocket and walked away. Above him, standing on the building, a shadow watched the two of them in silence.

\----------------------------------------------

Marinette got home and saw her parents working at the bakery. The two were relieved to see her well, but hardly imagined what had happened. After lunch she went upstairs, took her pills and got into bed, falling asleep instantly. She felt every muscle hurting as if she had taken a beating, because of that her sleep was filled with nightmares and restlessness, and she awoke several times for a few seconds before going back to sleep of exhaustion.

She finally woke up, feeling her head spinning and vision blurred. Her body was experiencing pain and sensations with which she never had to deal before, but she had to get used to it, or suffering would be much greater than she could take.

Marinette rose from bed and her gaze fell instinctively on the corner where, the day before, Adrien was sleeping over his arms. She waited until the heat reached her face and the heart flutter as usual , but nothing happened. She moved her hand and rested it over her chest in wonder. Does that calm was also a side effect of the Miraculous?

"Tikki" the girl called in a low voice.

"Hi, Marinette. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you, Tikki" Marinette smiled. Tikki's presence always made her feel better in an inexplicable way "I wanted to ask you something," the girl said, looking at the hand touching her chest.

"Ask away, Mari!" the Kwami sat on the girl's lap.

"Can all these things happening to my body also change my heart?" Marinette felt her throat close on a node while tears filled her eyes. Since that all began, for the first time, she was feeling an overwhelming fear. She could deal with pain, marks over her body, bruises, scratches and scars, but couldn't bear to even imagine that her heart could forget those she loved, those with whom she cared.

"Never!" Tikki lifted flight and stroked the Marinette face with her little hand "Remember when I said you were the Ladybug with or without the mask?"

Marinette shook her head positively, fighting back tears.

"What I meant was that your heart is and will always be the same, regardless of whether you are or not transformed. You'll always be the loving and caring Marinette, and no one can take that away from you, not even Hawkmoth, and this is what differentiates you from the rest of the world's population. Anyone who can think negatively opens a space for an akuma, but not you. " Tikki's eyes sparkled, full of pride and Marinette ran hands over her own face to make the bad thoughts vanish, but a small spark of doubt persisted. A small spark that shone saying that there were still stories to be revealed.

\-----------------------------------------------

Adrien got home and called his fencing teacher, scheduling extra classes. He did the same with his karate teacher, who he no longer saw for a few months. He needed to be physically ready for what was about to come. He remembered all the times he was possessed by the akumas and turned out to be a victim of situations which Ladybug had to solve by herself, but now she needed him more than ever. He wouldn't lose her. He looked to the couch and saw Plagg sitting next to a camembert cheese box, eating in silence.

"Plagg, I talked to Ladybug." Adrien said, sitting beside him.

"I know, I heard a little of it." the little kwami said between bites.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Plagg lowered the slice of cheese that was on his hands, staying in silence for a few seconds, but looking at Adrien soon after so serious that the boy felt a bit worried. He had never seen that look on Plagg's face. It was scary.

"I didn't know. I knew it was a possibility but not a certainty, and I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily." the little cat's voice was almost a whisper, almost an apology. Adrien didn't know, but the apology tone wasn't for what had happened, but for what was about to happen.

"Is it true what she said? All of it?" Adrien wanted to hear the words from the kwami's mouth.

Plagg took a deep breath, putting the piece of camembert inside the box to finish eating later and then sat on it, looking down and removing the cheese crumbs from the tip of the paws.

"A long time ago, long before you or Ladybug even thought of arriving at this world, the Miraculous emerged. At first it was a single, glorious and destructive power, but assigning it to one person was a burden and terrible fate, then it was divided in many parts. Each part was offered to a good-hearted carrier, so that they could protect the world and the people who lived in it, thus keeping evil away and neutralized." Plagg raised his head to meet Adrien's eyes "But the force that gave rise to all these powers couldn't be divided. The source expands and decreases together. It's born and dies together.And it's so powerful that if one person controls, it controls all the world's balance. "

"The origin of all the Miraculous? Of all these powers?" Adrien asked, trying to understand.

"The power to create and destroy. The power of Chat Noir and Ladybug. You may think they are two separate powers, but the truth is that they're so connected that when one of them doesn't exist, the other gets destroyed." Plagg looked out the window "For too long we could tried to keep this power asleep, because we know the weight of the responsibility that's carrying it. All kwamis know it."

"All kwamis? How many kwamis are there?" Adrien straightened on the couch.

"Quite a few, but not all of them are awake now. And those who are, are at war. Some against each other." Plagg lowered his head.

"A against each other!?" Adrien jumped on the couch "But aren't the Miraculous powers supposed to be good? Carried by holders with a pure heart?"

"Yes. All the Miraculous' holders have a pure heart." the little Kwami frowned deeply "But not all of them stay that way." He looked deep into Adrien's eyes "And you know one of those who didn't."

Adrien felt his heart leap in his chest.

"Hawkmoth." the boy closed his eyes tightly. He never thought that Hawkmoth could be a Miraculous holder. "But then why does he wants mine and Ladybug's Miraculous?

"Because your Miraculous are yin and yang. They're what give balance to the world and control life and death. They're the origin of everything. And together, they're capable of anything." Plagg finished the sentence in a voice so low Adrien hardly heard.

"What does he want, Plagg? Why does he need so much power? What made him become like that?" Adrien imagined Hawkmoth as a normal guy who once was a Miraculous holder like as himself. What turned him into such a cold-hearted person?

"I'd love to say that I don't know, and that we'll never find out, but the truth is quite different from that." Plagg hid his face in his hands. He didn't want to have that conversation, not yet. He didn't want Adrien to suffer by anticipation knowing more than he had to. The silence was then broken by the one question the Kwami prayed never did came up.

"Do you know him?"

The silence was disturbing until the answer Adrien feared the most resounded through the room.

"Yes, I know him." Plagg looked at the boy, "I was his kwami."

Adrien felt his eyes opening wide. He wasn't sure if Plagg was still speaking, because the only thing he could hear was his own heart beating wildly. He looked at his own hands, clenching them to be sure he was awake. Plagg had been Hawkmoth's kwami? What the hell was that?

"Plagg, what are you talking about? Hawkmoth's kwami? T-That can't be true!" Adrien tried to gather arguments, explanations. Tried to seek a different story to unfold inside his head "You couldn't have been his Kwami, Plagg! If that's true, then Hawkmoth would've been..."

"...Chat Noir. He was Chat Noir." Plagg finished the sentence. Sooner or later, that time would come and the pain would be inevitable. The kwami knew he'd have to be someone who plucks a bandage fast and once, trying to protect the wound from bleeding more than necessary. He wouldn't be able to avoid that moment forever, but he could make it easier, and afterwards he could exchange the bloody bandage for a new, clean one.

Adrien felt his body falling on the couch, unresponsive. A sharp and steady hum filled his ears. He intertwined his fingers to stop shaking. And for a second there, everything in his life seemed like a huge lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang in there, guys!  
> New chapters are on the way!


	9. Concern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Woohoo~~

"He was the last Chat Noir before you, Adrien." Plagg began. He knew that from that moment on, any lacking information would only create misunderstandings. "We fought side by side and he had a realy kind heart. He was very different from you. He was serious, focused and had a no sense of humor at all, but had a heart of gold." the Kwami paused waiting for the boy to absorb all the information. He didn't want to move too fast. Plagg saw Adrien Adrien looking at him expectantly, waiting for the rest of the story.

"Like you, he also loved Ladybug with all his heart." Plagg saw Adrien frown in his direction, "Yes, he also had a Ladybug. I told you, remember? Always together."

"There was a Ladybug back then as well..." Adrien leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, wondering if she would look like the current one.

"Yeah, and everyone liked her very much! She was a bit different from your Ladybug." Adrien blushed when Plagg used the term 'your Ladybug', but shook his head not to lose concentration in the conversation "When she found out I liked cheese, she used to bring me delicious things to eat and she was a good cook." Plagg lowered his head, and his tone became more serious "But life goes on, and one day she decided that she would no longer be Ladybug."

Adrien lowered his head to stare at Plagg but still leaning against the couch. Never once crossed his mind to give up being Chat Noir. It was the one thing that made him truly free, the one thing that allowed him to let all thoughts and actions flow normally. Being Chat Noir was that one thing that truly made him happy.

"Why did she resign?" Adrien asked, trying to understand.

"She fell in love and wanted to start a family. And the threats were no longer there for her to be needed that much. But for the Chat Noir of that time, our Hawkmoth now, that was the end of his world. His Ladybug loved another and was leaving him. He couldn't deal very well with it . " Plagg recalled the past, but everything was so fresh in his memory that it seemed that the events had happened the day before.

"That's what made him becoming Hawkmoth? Disappointment corrupted his heart?"

"No, the story is much more complicated than that" Plagg breathed "He fell into a deep depression, that's true, both for losing Ladybug and for being forced to quit being Chat Noir."

"He was forced to quit?"

"Remember what Ladybug told you in the alley? That without the power balance destruction can lose control?"

"Yes, it makes sense." Adrien scratched his chin "If he continued being Chat Noir, he wouldn't be a hero anymore, but a risk to people around him and to himself as well."

"Exactly," continued Plagg "The problem was that he didn't want to give up. He believed that if he kept insisting on being Chat Noir, Ladybug would realize he was making a mistake and return to action." Plagg sighed several times before proceeding "We argued many times because of that. He became more and more stubborn and insubordinate, and we couldn't talk to each other properly anymore. Dialogue was over between us. It was a really hard situation." Plagg heard the rumbling stomach "This whole story is making me hungry!" even before Adrien could complain, Plagg was already muching a huge chunk of Camembert and the strong smell of cheese invaded the room.

Adrien sniffed and got up from the couch. He smelled that cheese so many times a day he felt sick just being around Plagg. The black kwami looked at the boy walking away and stopped chewing for a second, taking a deep breath. Too much information, too many stories at once. If Adrien knew things too fast, the consequences could be disastrous. 'One step at a time, one piece at a time', Plagg thought, and went back to eating.

While talking to Plagg, Adrien realized that time had passed and the afternoon was almost over. It was one of his few days off and he had therefore decided to mark the patrol with Ladybug that night, but he still had a few hours until darkness fell upon Paris. He pushed his body out of the couch and went to the nightstand right next to his bed, picking up the phone to re-read the messages of the last days. A lot had happened to him, Ladybug and Marinette.

"Marinette." Adrien frowned, remembering the girl he found sick at home. He didn't know if she was better, and after all that had happened he was embarassed to see her again, but he also really wanted to know how she was. He smiled to himself in the midst of an idea.

"Plagg, finish eating 'cause we're going to Marinette's!" Adrien said while arranging the school materials in the bag.

"But I'm eating!" Plagg complained, as usual.

"That's why I told you to finish it already, you greedy kwami" Adrien laughed. Plagg was like that since day one.

"Okay, okay, I'm done." Plagg closed the now empty camembert pot .

"Perfect! Plagg, claws out!" He yelled pointing his fist toward the Kwami and within seconds he turned into Chat Noir "This way I won't need to worry!" the boy felt Marinette was much more comfortable around Chat Noir than around Adrien.

Chat Noir moved above the buildings as he admired the orange glow bathing Paris. That was his favorite time of day, both because the mild temperature and because of the colors that painted the sky, and he rememebed what Plagg told him. Losing Ladybug would be a horrible thing to feel, added to the fact of having to quit being Chat Noir? He couldn't imagine the overwhelming feeling. That would be the end of him. For a second there, he felt compassion for Hawkmoth.  
   
He saw Marinette's house in the distance, and smiled at the lit light in the attic room. She was home. He landed on the ledge outside the window quietly and saw the girl sitting at the computer scanning the Ladyblog, an online blog about Ladybug her friend Alya ran.

"Then she also likes Ladybug." Adrien whispered to himself, smiling. He was happy to know that people admired his partner as much as he did. He gathered courage and knocked on the window twice with the tip of a finger. He watched as Marinette turned on her chair toward the window, looked him in the eyes and got so scared she fell from on the floor. Afraid that she got hurt, he pushed the window, opened it and got himself into the room.

"Hey, are you okay?" Chat landed next to her in a jump, and saw the big blue eyes looking in his direction, in a mixture of curiosity and fear. Seeing the expression, he immediately stepped back and looked down "Sorry, I thought you might been hurt."

Chat apologizing? Marinette frowned surprised with the reaction and started to laugh. Chat Noir inclined his head to the side, not understanding.

"It's funny to hear you apologizing, Chat. It doesn't suit you." she said, getting up and setting the chair across the desk.

"Now now, I'm a perfect gentleman, princess!" he said rehearsing a bow, making Marinette laugh harder, causing the girl a coughing fit and remembering the boy the real reason that made him go there

"Marinette?" he asked with his hand extended toward her, as he watched her recover from the cough. He wanted to touch her and make her feel better, but he didn't want to scare her. The same warm feeling he felt when he was in that room as Adrien returned to his chest, making him retract his extended arm and hold it, like taming a wild animal that was losing control.

"I'm fine, Chat" she smiled with her hand over her own chest, breathing normally "I've been sick the past few days, but now I'm better, no need to worry." Chat saw her walk up to the desk and take one of the pills. She actually looked better, and that was reassuring. When Marinette looked back at Chat Noir, she had to face the same expression he used to have when she was Ladybug. Concern. Devotion. Affection. Shee frowned slightly. "Are you okay? What do I owe the honor of the visit?"

Chat Noir became serious for a second and smiled awkwardly. He had let the impulses take control of his actions and hadn't thought of a good enough reason to visit Marinette. He'd have to let his instincts guide them.

"Why? Does a gentleman needs a reason to visit his princess?" He rested his hands on the hips, lifting his chin and looking her with the corner of his eyes. Marinette turned her back, rolling her eyes. Once Chat Noir, always Chat Noir. "I was getting ready to go on a patrol with Ladybug and your house was on my route. Moreover, now knowing that you were sick, I'm happy to have stopped by. Do you need anything?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow, wondering Chat's attitude. Does the conversation they had in the alley left him more sensitive than usual? She walked to the desk and sat in the swivel chair, indicating the other one for Chat to sit on. Since he had the courtesy to visit, she would try at least to be kind.

"I don't need anything. Thank you, Chat. A dear friend had already helped me a lot." she smiled sincerely, and he wanted her to smile like that when he also was not Chat Noir. The thought crossed his mind, and he looked away when he felt his face warming up. Marinette thought he was acting too weirdly, even for Chat patterns. What was going on with him?

"Sure you're okay Chat?" she asked, leaning toward him and touching his forearm with her fingertips. The touch had an instant effect. He reminded her body in his arms and the feverish temperature pressed against his chest. And then he recalled the exact moment his name left her lips close to his ear in the form of a whisper. Chat felt a chill on his neck and his eyes widened, rising from his chair in one leap.

"Of course I am! I'm great!" he laughed to disguise the whirlwind of emotions, and caught the baton on his waist "I'm glad you're alright, princess! Now I have to go! Paris awaits me out there!" He grinned, leaping out of the window and leaving an absurdly confused Marinette behind.

"I think I'm going crazy" Chat Noir murmured to himself, seeing from up the Eiffel Tower the sky darken gradually. "There's no other explanation! I love Ladybug, why this feeling keeps breaking into my heart?" he said touching his chest, so distracted he didn't see Ladybug landing on the tower behind him and hearing him say, "How I wish things were easier..."

"What did you want to be easy, Chatón?" Ladybug asked, sitting beside him.

"Ladybug!" Chat yelled in a fright, and Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't you hear me coming? I thought your hearing was better than that, Chat!" she looked at him with a teasing smile.

"My hearing is just fine, my lady." he lifted his chin in pride "I was just distracted, missing you."

Ladybug rolled her eyes with the explanation and smiled when she felt a breeze caressing her hair. Being there at the top of the Eiffel Tower was like being on the top of the world. Way down there people were walking to their homes at the end of another day. Many would dine with their families and have a peaceful sleep at night, but she also knew there were people living alone or facing problems. She fought for all of them, for each of them. And while she had the strength, while the blood ran in her veins, she wouldn't stop. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, raising her face skyward.

Chat watched his partner and each one of the reactions her face showed. He wanted to know what was going on in her head, wanted to talk about what they had discussed in the alley, but seeing her there quiet and safe next to him made him want not to ruin the moment with words.

Ladybug felt a warm sensation landing on her right hand that was resting on the metal frame, and saw Chat's hand over hers. When she looked back at his face, she saw him smiling, looking at the sky. She felt a certainty she never felt before, and she knew that was his way of telling her he was on her side, no matter what. She turned her hand up and intertwined her fingers on his. Their eyes met and a smile was exchanged. There was something there much stronger than just love, far above any fear or shame, of any insecurity or anxiety.

Respect. Confidence. Complicity.

"Ready for our patrol?" she asked, standing on the tower.

"I was born ready, bugaboo!" He stood up next to her, using the nickname that always made her smile.

The two then disappeared together into the night. They knew that the chronometer was running, but they also knew that together they were much stronger than any time force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of MariChat never did hurt no one ;3


End file.
